“Please daven for me at the kever of the Chofetz Chaim too! Please daven that I should be able to be mizakeh the rabbim.” Those were the emotional, heartfelt words of the venerated senior Rosh Yeshiva of our generation, HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita, when a close talmid asked if he should join the historic Dirshu delegation of Rabbanim on a tefillah journey to the kever of the Chofetz Chaim on the yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim this coming 24 Elul/September 8.
The Dirshu special tefillah journey to the kever of the Chofetz Chaim will be unprecedented in the size, scope and depth of its mission. Numerous senior Roshei Yeshiva will be joining including such august figures as HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Borenstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Kiryas Melech in Bnei Brak, HaGaon HaRav Shimon Baadani, shlita, Rosh Kollel Torat Chaim and a member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, shlita, Skverer Dayan of Boro Park, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, shlita, Rav of Western Bnei Brak and talmid muvhak of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l, and HaGaon HaRav Simcha Hakohen Kook, shlita, Chief Rabbi of Rechovot.
One Trip, Two Purposes
What is the purpose of the trip wherein some fifty leading Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbonim and Poskim will come to pour out their hearts in tefillah at the kever of the Chofetz Chaim? Rabbi Avigdor Berenstein, a senior member of Dirshu’s hanhalah, explains that the purpose of the trip is twofold. “We know that Klal Yisrael today is living in truly precarious times. From within and without there are serious issues that could threaten our very viability, r”l. We need tremendous zechusim as we enter the Yom Hadin this year.”
Dirshu has therefore organized a unique, unprecedented journey of Gedolei Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva to travel to the kever of the Chofetz Chaim. The first and foremost zechus that Klal Yisrael can invoke at the kever of the Chofetz Chaim is the fact that tens of thousands of lomdei Dirshu are participating daily in learning the sefarim of the Chofetz Chaim: his Mishnah Berurah, his Sefer Chofetz Chaim and his other mussar sefarim in Dirshu’s popular Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program. It is a profound zechus to be able to learn the sefarim of the Chofetz Chaim daily and it empowers the lomdim of Dirshu to approach the Chofetz Chaim and daven to Hashem that in that zechus all of Klal Yisrael – both the tzibbur as a whole and every individual – should experience yeshuos.
Another primary purpose of the trip is to encourage many more thousands of Yidden the world over to join the tens of thousands whose spiritual lives have been transformed through their learning the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program. The delegation will daven for all current Daf HaYomi B’Halacha learners, as well as any person who accepts upon himself to learn daily halacha with Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and mussar.
The Slonimer Rebbe, Shlita: The Chofetz Chaim: The Last Rabban Shel Yisrael
One of the prominent Rabbanim who will be making the journey is Rav Yisroel Luria, a son-in-law of the famed Nesivos Shalom, zt”l, of Slonim and a brother-in-law of the present Slonimer Rebbe, shlita. The Slonimer Rebbe was very enthusiastic about the journey and the bracha it will undoubtedly bring for Klal Yisrael. The Rebbe related, “The Chofetz Chaim had the unique zechus to be the last leader of Klal Yisrael whom every sector of Jewry viewed as the Rabban Shel Yisrael.” …The Chofetz Chaim wanted to write a sefer that Yidden the world over could learn in a user-friendly way. Those undertaking the journey to the kever of the Chofetz Chaim must come before the heiligeh Chofetz Chaim and tell him that he succeeded in his undertaking! The vast majority of Klal Yisrael are very particular about halacha, thanks to him.”
Joining the Spiritual Journey
Rabbi Ahron Gobioff, Dirshu’s American Director explains that the yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim and the tefillos that will be recited fervently at his kever offers a unique opportunity for all of Klal Yisroel to join together with the tefillah journey and simultaneously offer our own tefillos. He adds that “Every Yid, no matter who he is, has benefitted from the Chofetz Chaim in so many ways. Perhaps this coming yahrtzeit, Tuesday, 24 Elul/September 8, every Yid wherever he is should stop for a few minutes and offer a tefillah in memory of the Chofetz Chaim and as a zechus for all of Klal Yisrael. In addition,” Rav Gobioff relates, “the gedolim in Eretz Yisrael have asked everyone to learn the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha limud of halacha and mussar on the auspicious day of the Chofetz Chaim’s yahrtzeit. Beginning with Siman 37 of Mishnah Berurah on the halachos devoted to ascertaining the time when one should put on tefillin every day and continuing with Sefer Chofetz Chaim where the program will learn hilchos rechilus from Chapter 9 until the end of hilchos rechilus.”
To join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha or to access a shiur near you please call 888 5 Dirshu. To have your name included in the tefillos at the kever of the Chofetz Chaim please fax to 732-987-3949 or e-mail, [email protected]:[email protected]
Editor’s Note: The above is sponsored content provided by Dirshu.
By Chaim Gold
